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Heather Wastie writes poems, songs & monologues. This blog began with her oral history project with people who worked in the carpet industry in Kidderminster. Her carpet industry related pieces appear on this blog and in her book http://blackpear.net/authors-and-books/heather-wastie/

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“Weaving Yarns is a unique infectious cocktail of assorted snippets and stories about the carpet industry and the folk who helped to make Kidderminster the carpet town.”(Melvyn Thompson, Historian to the Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster).

Black Pear Press is delighted to announce the launch of Weaving Yarns, a new collection of poetry, songs and stories from Worcestershire Poet Laureate Heather Wastie (Published by Black Pear Press, ISBN: 978-1-910322-18-5). Heather was Writer in Residence at the Museum of Carpet in 2013 and has interviewed many retired carpet factory employees whose stories are told in this book.

The collection traces the impact of the carpet trade on Kidderminster and its people:

In the carpet capital of the world,
Brian is studying the Stour,
today’s mix of colours
from a multitude of dyes.

(From ‘Tell-tale Colours’)

And draws parallels with the carpet industry in other parts of the world:

There’s a line
from Turkey to Kidderminster
girl after girl after girl

tucking tiny fingers
between the warp threads
posed and squashed on solid planks

(From ‘Knotting Frames’)

Enjoy readings and music from Heather and friends, as she celebrates the publication of her book inspired by the rich history of Kidderminster’s carpet industry.

You are invited to join us at the Museum of Carpet, Stour Vale Mill, Green St, Kidderminster DY10 1AZ, 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start on Wednesday 11th November. The event is free to enter and should finish around 9pm.

“What could be better than this collection of poems for the expression of the emotions of townspeople who have witnessed the decay of their staple industry?” (Nigel Gilbert, Writer and Historian)

The photographs and illustrations in Weaving Yarns are drawn from the extensive archive at the Museum of Carpet, and used with the generous permission of the Museum.

I have some exciting events coming up which you may be interested to hear about.

Next Tuesday evening, I’m MC at a prestigious event for the Rugby World Cup, in the Rugby Village fanzone. I’ll be doing 20 minutes of poetry with some music and introducing two other featured poets, Tony Walsh aka Longfella and Dave Reeves (who bellows), plus 6 local writers.

One of my duties as The Worcestershire Poet Laureate is to put on an event for National Poetry Day, Thursday October 8th. So I’m presenting “Light and Shade” at the Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster, jointly promoted by Worcestershire LitFest http://worcslitfest.co.uk/ and the Museum http://museumofcarpet.org

On Wednesday November 11th, my book Weaving Yarns is being launched, published by Black Pear Press. This is also at the Museum of Carpet, Stour Vale Mill, Green Street, Kidderminster DY10 1AZ.